February 28, 2025

Information from ProFarmer

When announcing Vaden’s nomination in late December, Trump stated: “I am pleased to nominate Stephen Alexander Vaden to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, where he will work with our Great United States Secretary of Agriculture Nominee, Brooke Rollins,” Trump said in his announcement. “In my First Term, Stephen was the General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture, and a Member of the Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation, where he won two cases before the United States Supreme Court, relocated and reorganized the Agencies that comprise the Department to better serve Rural America, and engaged in substantial regulatory reform. Stephen joined the USDA on Day One of my First Term, and left in December 2020 after I nominated him, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him, to continue to serve the American People as an Article III Judge on the Court of International Trade. Judge Stephen Vaden resides in Union City, Tennessee, where he helps manage his family farm. Congratulations Stephen!”

Background:

• Vaden’s accomplishments include winning Supreme Court cases, leading USDA reforms, and implementing key policies such as the 2018 Farm Bill and hemp legalization.
• Vaden holds a law degree from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University. Prior to his government service, Vaden worked at prominent Washington law firms, including Jones Day and Patton Boggs.
• He currently serves as a judge on the United States Court of International Trade, a position he has held since December 2020.
• During his tenure as USDA’s general counsel, Vaden achieved several notable successes: (1) Won two cases before the United States Supreme Court; (2) Oversaw the relocation and reorganization of USDA agencies to better serve rural America; (3) Engaged in substantial regulatory reform; (4) Implemented the 2018 Farm Bill; and (5) Managed rules for the legalization of industrial hemp and regulation of bioengineered crops.
• Vaden maintains strong ties to agriculture, living in Union City, Tennessee, where he helps manage his family farm. This personal connection to farming likely provides him with valuable insights into the challenges and needs of rural America.

Confirmation Pending

Fordyce returns to USDA as the Undersecretary of Farm Production and Conservation, having previously served as the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency in the previous Trump Administration.

In his role, he will oversee key agencies that directly serve farmers and ranchers, including the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Risk Management Agency.

Background:

• Lifelong farmer
• Former Farm Service Agency Administrator
• Has worked with FSA for acreage reporting
• Collaborated with NRCS on conservation efforts
• Has relied on RMA for crop insurance

Confirmation Pending

Background:

• Chief of Staff for USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs (2017-2019)
• Senior Advisor for USDA (2019-2021)
• Public policy counsel for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
• Director of Health and Regulatory Affairs for the American Horse Council
• Manager of Regulatory Policy for RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment)
• Juris Doctorate from Texas A&M University School of Law

Confirmation Pending

Lindberg served as the Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. As the agency’s second-highest ranking official, he was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of EXIM and advancing strategic initiatives such as the program on “China and Transformational Exports”, opening new markets for American Liquified Natural Gas, securing America’s supply of Critical Minerals & Rare Earths, and protecting allies in the race to deploy 5G globally. He also led EXIM’s involvement in the execution of the ground-breaking Abraham Accords. Mr. Lindberg earned the Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes distinctive accomplishment and leadership that significantly benefit EXIM and the nation.

Lindberg Serves on the board of directors of the National Association of District Export Councils, and the Children’s Home Society. He holds advisory roles with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Additionally, Lindberg is a Senior Fellow at the America First Policy Institute and has been featured by Fox News, The Washington Times, The Hill, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, and The Farm Journal, for his ‘Thought Leadership’ on international affairs and agriculture policy. Lindberg earned a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government & Politics, all from the University of Maryland.

Confirmation Pending

Background:

• Owns Hell Roaring Ranch in Stanley, Idaho
• Co-founder of multibillion-dollar tech company Clearwater Analytics, headquartered in Boise, Idaho
• Volunteer firefighter for Sawtooth Valley Rural Fire Department
• Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation board member

Confirmation Pending

This was Hutchins’ biography from the first time he held this appointment in 2019.

Dr. Scott Hutchins is the deputy under secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Research, Education and Economics mission area, which is comprised of the Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Together these agencies cut across every USDA department and have unique federal leadership responsibility to advance agriculture research, extension and education. He was sworn-in by Secretary Perdue on January 29, 2019.

Hutchins retired from Corteva^TM AgriScience after almost 32 years, where he held many roles in Program Management, Human Resources, Six Sigma, R&D Portfolio Management and Global Administration. In addition, he is a board-certified entomologist, adjunct professor of entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, past president of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), Fellow and Honorary Member of the ESA.

Hutchins received a bachelor’s degree in entomology from Auburn University, a master’s degree in entomology from Mississippi State University and a doctorate degree in entomology from Iowa State University. He and his wife Janet have three children and seven grandchildren.

Confirmation Pending